Fort Mandan Christmas Tea returns with new changes and events

By Danielle Abbott

With every Christmas season comes dozens of freshly baked cookies, wonderful glistening lights and warm gatherings with family and friends. These joyous events create a heartfelt season that fills entire communities with happiness. If you find yourself with a break from these activities and you want to try something different this year, or you simply want to revisit a beloved event that has become a holiday tradition over the past several years, you might want to consider visiting the Fort Mandan’s Christmas Tea. This is the fifth annual Christmas Tea event, which is accompanied by the local quilt display. Most of the quilts are currently up on display in the lodge classroom of Fort Mandan, and the last few quilts are quickly finding their places on the walls. The quilts will stay up through Dec. 28, but there is an added incentive for viewing the crafty wonders within the next week. "Anyone who comes in now can view the quilts and vote for their favorite," said Fort Mandan events coordinator Laura Gardner. The quilt which receives the most votes will be honored with the coveted ‘Peoples Choice’ award. The award will be given in two separate categories, the bed size quilts and the wall hanging quilts. These awards will be announced at the annual Christmas Tea event on Dec. 13. Fourteen quilts are on display this year, which is a slight decrease from previous years. That is one of several changes that are taking place this year. Since the Interpretive Center is currently occupied with the Bodmer/Maximillian exhibit, the quilt show and tea event will be held at Fort Mandan for the first time.